Assignment 3: People and Places of Japan

Source

This is an image of  tea houses in Ogee--Yedo. This image description states that the citizens would come out for recreation and aesthetic pleasure.  There were hunting grounds nearby reserved for the emperor and the height of Ogee observed the well cultivated country as a whole.  The image shows rocks, trees, flowers and a river flowing calmly behind the popular tea house.  If you look very closely, there is a man sitting on top of the rocks either admiring the view or fishing.  It is hard to tell whether the man is real of not.  The photo is a sepia tone giving the overall image a very serene and calming effect.

The direction and winding of the river leads the viewers eyes beyond the horizon and makes them curious to see more of the town.  It is almost like an arrow pointing passed the scene and toward the rest of the town.  The calm waters give a sense of comfort to the viewer and the fact that the man is almost statue like (and blends into the rocks) make it seem like that this place doesn't change--that it will always stay beautiful and people can always come back for that effect.  

Source

This is a photograph of 4 samurais.  They are all armed, carrying their swords.  The two swords are worn as a sign of nobility or higher classes (above merchants and laborers).  None of the men are smiling and all of them are standing straight with their shoulders back.  Only the second samurai to the left is looking directly at the camera-- the rest are looking down with strong eyes.  The photo is black and white with the colors of the samurai robes and swords coming through.

The usually hand-applied colors are green, blue, red, and yellow so it seems that the photo was manipulated by the artist.  The swords may have been painted yellow so that the viewers' eyes get drawn towards them to indicate that they are samurai and present their social status.  The blues and greys give the photo overall a very calm and controlled mood.  The way they are standing with firm faces give the samurais a very strong image.  The way I interpreted them looking down is that maybe they are trying to show each other respect by looking at the same eye level.  The man staring directly at the camera shows that he has control and is drawing the viewer in.